US President Donald Trump's administration is seeking an end to the American Institute for International Steel's (AIIS) challenge of the Section 232 tariffs and quotas on imported steel and aluminium, citing a 1976 high court decision as precedent, according to a brief filed with the US Supreme Court by Solicitor General Noel Francisco this month.
"[The] petitioners' argument [that the 232 duties are unconstitutional] rests on a mistaken premise. Rather than authorizing the president to adjust imports whenever he pleases, Section 232 'establishes clear preconditions to presidential action,' including a finding by the Secretary [of Commerce] that an 'article is being imported into the United States in such quantities or under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security,'" the brief claimed.The administration contends that a 1976 Supreme Court case - Federal Energy Administration v. Algonquin...